Kristen’s Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Kristen, author of Eating with Purpose, and I met when she moved to Dallas. Like she shares below, we had an instant connection. Kristen has a very clean approach to food and I always learn something from her. Make sure to stop by her blog. You’ll love her unique point of view.

I am so honored to be here at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free today! Amy is a true pro at making our favorite foods healthier. I knew I had to share something sweet and decadent…. and my Chewy Chocolate Cookies fit the bill!

When Amy and I met, we instantly connected because both of us had experienced a radical health transformation by changing our diet. For me, there was a time period I needed to deal with the root cause of my sugar addiction, so I completely took out all sugar in my diet… besides a little fruit. So during this time I used liquid stevia and xylitol as my sweeteners of choice. After my health improved I was able to add in whole food sweeteners such as: coconut sugar, raw honey, maple syrup, yacon syrup, dates, etc. This cookie recipe can be tailored for those of us on a refined sugar-free lifestyle or a completely sugar-free lifestyle.

Here’s my take on stevia and xylitol:

Stevia – For those of you who aren’t familiar with stevia, it is an herb that is about 300 times sweeter than sugar, but completely sugar-free! KAL brand or NuNaturals brand alcohol-free liquid stevia are my favorites…. no odd flavor or bitter aftertaste. Many powdered stevias are mixed with highly processed bulking agents and they still taste odd, in my opinion. So if you think you are not a fan of stevia, try one more time and pick up one of these brands in their liquid version. If you’ve found one you love, great… I’m sure there are other great brands out there!

Xylitol – Xylitol is not a sugar at all, but a sugar alcohol. It actually has beneficial effects on the metabolism, which is ideal for those of us who want to lose excess body fat. If you are on an anti-candida diet, xylitol actually helps to kill the candida and other harmful pathogens…which can help to get rid of those nasty sugar cravings. The downfall? Well, since xylitol is a sugar alcohol the body processes it differently than regular sugar… meaning it can cause stomach discomfort. The key is to slowly integrate it into your diet and build up your tolerance. The body just needs time to get used to digesting it. Some people are more sensitive than others, so just have one or two cookies and you shouldn’t have a problem. Xylitol sometimes gets a bad reputation because people overdo it and eat 12 cookies in one sitting and then have stomach discomfort. Just like sugar- moderation is key!

For my completely sugar free recipes I like to use liquid stevia and xylitol together, so I get the health benefits of both… and xylitol is kept to a minimum. It also creates the perfect balance of real sugar flavor!

Ideally I like to use the unrefined sweeteners I mentioned above and add in a little stevia and/or xylitol to keep sugar in good proportion. For this recipe you can lessen the xylitol by substituting some with coconut sugar or replace all the xylitol and stevia with the coconut sugar.

Since these cookies are so nutrient dense, one or two are super satisfying…. unlike a regular store-bought cookie that keeps you coming back for more and more….. and more!

A chocolaty, gluten-free and sugar-free cookie that’s sure to please your sweet tooth! These freeze great too and no need for thawing, so you always have a sweet treat on hand to satisfy those cravings.

Ingredients

2 large organic eggs

1 cup raw unsalted creamy almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

12 drops KAL liquid stevia

½ cup xylitol or ¾ cup coconut sugar

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons buckwheat flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets (I use an 18 x 13 cookie sheet) with parchment paper. (I use the same parchment paper later to store them.)

Beat eggs with an electric-mixer in a medium bowl and then add almond butter, vanilla, apple cider vinegar and liquid stevia. Do not mix the rest of the wet ingredients together.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix well with an electric-mixer until thoroughly mixed. At first it will seem too dry, but keep mixing and it will form into a thick, fudge-like dough. Finish mixing with a spatula to make sure it is well mixed.

I use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to evenly portion out the dough onto a cookie sheet. Flatten the cookies gently using the back of a spoon or your fingertips.

Bake for about 12 minutes. The cookies will be soft and moist on the inside. It’s a little hard to tell when they are golden brown because they are already brown…so I tend to cook them about 12 minutes, they will still be gooey and moist on the inside! Cook less when in doubt, they firm up as they cool… do NOT overcook.

Cool the cookies on a cooling rack for 10-15 minutes.

After they are completely cooled use parchment paper to separate them and store in a ziplock bag or airtight container.

3.4.3177

Kristin Kons is a Certified Natural Food Chef and Holistic Nutrition Coach. She does nutrition segments for the TV health show “Know the Cause.”

Kristin’s blog, Eating with Purpose was born out of her own struggles with multiplying health and weight issues and her relationship with food. Kristin has lost and maintained a 60+ pound weight loss and believes extraordinary health starts in the kitchen!

@Adrienne @ Whole New Mom, Hi Adrienne, I haven't tried these using an egg replacer.... you know how finicky baking is! I bet it would work, but I'm sure it would change the consistency a bit. Let us know if you try!

These cookies look wonderful! I am really good at baking gluten free but I'm realizing that my body is still not totally happy so it's time to focus on healthier sugar substitutes!
Thanks for the great recipe.

Great looking recipe. As a cancer health educator and fellow healthy food blogger I appreciate finding recipes like this as just because someone doesn't eat gluten or sugar doesn't mean they don't love the occasional treat. Here in the UK we of course have stevia but just wondering if any liquid stevia will do.

@kellie@foodtoglow, Yes, we all need a treat now and then.... it's good for the soul!
Sure you can use any liquid stevia, but they all taste really different, so as long as you like the one your using it should be perfect!

@InTolerant Chef, I know, they are so fudgy! The trick is to not over bake them. They are always soft in the middle when I take them out of the oven and firm up once they cool, leaving a yummy, gooey middle... mmmm!

Hi, Amy,
I just bought your SS&GF book after hearing so many accolades :D I've been using "Living Without" GF Featherlight Mix previously. Would that mix work well with most of your recipes? (1 cup each sweet rice, tapioca and cornstarch plus 1 T. per cup potato flour) Thanks, and so glad you're such a delighted new mom! LeAnn

@Michelle,
Spelt is wheat and has gluten (gliadin specifically), so the recipie as modified would not be safe for someone with celiac disease like myself. However, as long as you understand they would not be gluten-free, it should be fine to modify that way for people without celiac disease.

... just to be accurate about xylitol - it is not digested in either our mouth or our stomach (as are sugars) but when reaching the large colon, fermentation can cause discomfort - but usually only if one eats too much - "too much" is when you are already a sugar addict and then replace all your substantial sugar consumption with xylitol - your large bowel will have a joy ride. You can also build up your "tolerance" to xylitol by slowly introducing it into your diet and using that opportunity to cut back on sugar/sweetness in general.
we have used it successfully and happily for years - great for kids and their teeth

These were delicious. My partner is what we call a "treat fiend". He needs a special, sugary treat after every meal....and he usually eats too much of them. I made these cookies and 2 of them filled him up (he normally eats 5-6 cookies of that size). AND he loved them! Thanks for the great recipe!

@kristin @ petal and thorn, Thanks for coming back and sharing your variation! It sounds delightful. I wouldn't have thought that sweet white rice flour would work instead of buckwheat but I guess you proved it does. :)

Hello! I'm just starting a gluten-free diet and finding recipes like the ones on your site give me hope that I can still have a treat now & then that will satisfy me! I'm definitely going to give these a try, but I have a question. You mentioned that these freeze well...do you freeze them before or after baking? Sorry if that's a silly question - I've never been much of a baker, so I'm not sure about that kind of general thing! :) Thanks so much for everything!

I made these cookies for a party and they were a hit! I never ever bake. I was worried because when I took them out of the oven they just fell apart. They held together nicely though after they cooled.
Thank you for this easy recipe, it had me jumping up and down with joy.
Funny story, my friend was eating one and she said "is there dairy in this?" I frowned and said yes, milk. (I had made a fruit dip the same day and gotten my recipes mixed up) She said she could tell, she was having an allergic reaction. Ha! I can't wait to tell her there is no dairy! :)

I think it was her imagination, she just couldn't believe these cookies were for real, they are too good to be true!
I did send her the ingredient list to see if there is something else it could have been.

I was just wondering if I can use powdered stevia vs the liquid? I was also wondering your thoughts on using almond flour vs the buckwheat? These look wonderful and I think will be a great treat for my daughter who has Type 1 Diabetes. Thanks!

Hello, I just stumbled across your website and decided to give this recipe a try, and they are great! Just have to share that I tweaked them a bit by making the batter in my Vitamix (started out by blending up almond butter from scratch and out of laziness just decided to add the rest of the ingredients in-- less dishes!) and the batter was amazing! Almost airy, and the final cookie turned out like a chocolate crinkle cookie. Thanks again!

OOOH EEEMM GEEEE!!!! Kristin, I just made them for the first time - and just nibbling at the crumbly bits has BLOWN MY MIND! It is simply unbelievable that these are not full of sugar and butter! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for posting this - you just made my gluten-free/sugar-free life!!!

Hi, just baked these with peanut butter and coconut flour instead of almond butter and buckwheat and they turned out dry :( Only baked for about 11 mins but I think the coconut flour is too dry for them. Good flavour but not the texture I was hoping for. Will try again with buckwheat.

I just baked these an hour ago and I'm so excited. They turned out fantastic. I ate two and it completely satisfied the need for a "sweet". I had to pace my fiance! Haha.
I'm SO glad I found your site. When I read your bio I almost cried. I know exactly how you felt. Although I didn't have a weight issue I have a weird disorder. I had anxiety disorder my whole life along with a hair pulling disorder called trichitillomania. A year ago I found out I am allergic to gluten and bakers yeast. After I went off of gluten, I found my anxiety was non existent which was very awesome. I started documenting what I ate and come to find out when I ate refined sugar, I had the urge to pull my hair. Well a week ago I went off refined sugar all together and my disorder vanished. The first time in 23 years. While I'm super excited to have eyebrows growing back, I honestly been craving chocolate so bad. When I found this recipe, I couldn't wait to buy the items to make this! I know it's possible to go sugar/gluten free - it's just going to take time for me to learn exactly how to cook/bake. So THANK YOU for blogging!

Hi there,
I tried this recipe and they taste delicious but the consistency is off, they didn't hold together like a normal cookie. They spread out and are crumbling. The only modification to your recipe was barley flour in place of the buckwheat and I added powdered stevia as opposed to the liquid. What went wrong?

Thanks so much for this recipe Kristin - these cookies are amazing! I've never made a sugar free or gluten free cookie before and I was skeptical....but they are incredible and very hard to believe they don't have real sugar in them! I used Sweet Leaf liquid Stevia and The Ultimate Life Xylitol for those who would like to know. The combination sweeteners really do create the perfect taste - absolutely NO aftertaste! I can't wait to make them again and shock all of my family and friends!!! Thanks again for sharing these recipes.....you are making a profound difference in the world!

Wow! These are delicious! Thanks for the recipe. Mine were really greasy looking when I put them in oven-came out moist and falling apart. Could my almond butter be too runny/not thick enough? So yummy that we're eating the crumbles. :) thanks.

I just made these yesterday with xylitol and stevia. Ran out of almond butter and used half cruunchy peanut butter (salted). Came out yummy, great texture. The extra salt also counteracted the stevia and made it all taste sweeter.
The diugh was so hard to work with that i put it in the freezer for 15 mins then rolled little balls and flattened them. Easy to work with and came out perfect!
Thanks for the great recipe!

The good news is that it delivers enough depth to considerably compensate for
what it lacks in originality. We have now simply finished making Struggle
of Mercenaries Hack Software. This was done for one reason only, and that was to stage the war scenes.

MADE THESE COOKIE AGAIN. A few days ago , I baked 12 mins. YUCK YUCK !
I followed directions, made a double batch. 1/2 bake 1/2 freeze.
Now I bake 5 mins. THEY ARE WONDERFUL! THANKYOU for the recipes you do.
Suggestion: double batch 1/2 bake 1/2 freeze dough. Put in SNACK BAGGIES( will make about 8 cookies , each snack Baggie )double batch makes about 5-6 snack baggies to freeze. I bake the rest.
Then put all snack baggies in 1 QRT FREEZER BAG. Pull out as needed. WORKS GREAT for hubby and me. DELICIOUS EZ CONVENIENT!

These cookies sound delicious, and there is lots of positive feedback. I am making these for a friend who is gluten and sugar free. I just wanted to know if I can use honey instead of stevia and with the same amount.

Just tried this recipe - the most bizarre thing happened. After I mixed all the ingredients, the oil from the almond butter started to almost be repelled from the dough. It was dripping off of it and squirting out of the cookies as I was forming them on the cookie sheet! What on earth?!
The only thing I did differently in the recipe was I didn't have raw almond butter, only roasted. Could that have been why? I have never seen anything like this before, it was kind of hilarious as bizarre as it was.

Trackbacks

[…] Kristen’s Chewy Chocolate Cookies – Recipe for Gluten Free … – For this recipe you can lessen the xylitol by substituting some with coconut sugar or … As a cancer health educator and fellow healthy food blogger I appreciate finding recipes like this as just because someone … I’ve never made a sugar free or gluten free cookie before and I … […]

About Amy

Living free of refined sugars and gluten since 2004 has allowed me to live a fulfilled, healthy life. My food cravings, migraines, and depression vanished and was able to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss. Today I live with enormous freedom. Join me as I create healthier food that's delicious. I'll help you do the same.